Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to transport cargo and variously shaped articles. Often, such systems employ a pair of support rails that are secured in spaced apart relation to one another on a body surface of the vehicle. Often, one or more crossbars are secured to the support rails. The crossbar (or crossbars) is typically used to support cargo or variously shaped articles thereon or to assist in restraining articles. In some systems, the crossbar is adjustably positionable in various positions along the support rails.
With systems as described above, the crossbars are typically not readily removable from the support rails once installed on the support rails. This is because the crossbar typically uses some form of end support at each of its opposite ends that engages within a track or channel in each of the support rails. Thus, once attached to the support rails, the only means for removing a crossbar is to move it slidably to the terminal end of each support rail. In some applications, the opposite ends of each support rail will be blocked off by some form of support structure that secures the support rail to the vehicle body surface. Even if such is not the case, removing the crossbar may entail the need to rearrange cargo being supported by an adjacent crossbar, or if the crossbar is employed in the bed of a pick-up truck, possibly removing articles rearwardly positioned in the bed relative to the crossbar that one desires to remove. Thus, removing a crossbar from its support rails, with existing systems, may involve one or more additional steps that add time and complexity to the operation of removing the crossbar.
Previously developed vehicle article carrier systems also may employ some form of tie-down loop that is secured to one of the support rails. Typically, the tie-down loop may include a tap plate that resides within a channel of the support rail, and a threaded stud portion that can be rotated to engage the tap plate to tighten the tie-down loop assembly in a desired position along the support rail. However, aside from enabling attachment of cord-like elements, such as bungee cords thereto, the tie-down assembly is typically not able to perform any additional function.